Compromise
by KillerPen
Summary: Hermione wanders into the Malfoy's library and receives and unwelcomed surprise, but as far as Draco is concerned it's already been way too long and he's not willing to wait any longer, but a relationship is all about compromise. Veela!Draco & Mate!Hermione. Lemons to come later, its mostly about Hermione trying to maintain her independence and Draco trying to keep her in his bed.
1. Chapter 1

_Summer Solstice Ball_

 _Hosted by Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy_

 _Friday, June 20_ _th_

 _At 8:00 p.m._

 _Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire_

 _RSVP by Owl May 31_ _st_

When the invitation had arrived at her flat she had read the first few lines before attempting to return the invitation, convinced that it was mistake. The hawk had painfully nipped at her fingers before flying off, but that didn't stop her from chucking the invite in the bin. She mentioned the incident to Harry the following day she discovered that he too, had received the same invitation. In fact, it seemed that the Malfoy's were extending invitations to their annual Summer Solstice party far outside their normal circles.

The Malfoys had switched sides midway through the war, of course they weren't trusted, but they still provided invaluable information that minimized losses for the Order. So when the war was over and You-Know-Who was finally dead and gone for good, the Malfoy's managed to avoid Azkaban and those pesky reparation payments so many other prominent families had to suffer. There were many whisperings about the Malfoy family after the war, many said that the Malfoys played both sides to ensure that they would end up on top no matter what. A few said that Voldemort had done something to cause the Malfoy's to turn, either way it was clear that the only reason the Malfoys had only helped the Order to serve their own interests.

The Malfoy's stayed painfully quite about their activities during the war, and their beliefs about blood status after things had settled down. The only kind of damage control they did after was an article that appeared in the Daily Prophet about the 'Hidden Heroes of the Second War; Draco Malfoy and Others' (conveniently after Narcissa Malfoy had a rather long luncheon with Rita Skeeter). They had never bothered to expand their social circle past what it was before the war – that was until now.

The people that had received invitations weren't urchins, the Malfoys hadn't lost their minds after all, they were war heroes, people with prominent positions and those with new and old money. Their previous parties had shorter guest lists, but they were lavish and extraordinary events. Attending the Malfoy Solstice was defiantly something to brag about, but absolutely the last thing that Hermione wanted to do.

Hermione took one last look at herself in the mirror, brushing off any imaginary lint. She was dressed in a simple floor length crimson gown with a Queen Anne neckline. Her outfit was rather daring by wizarding standards (it was a great deal tighter than the standard witch's robes), but it was the most fashionable thing that she owned. She paired her dress with a simple round gold locket that she had inherited from grandmother and let her curls fall loosely around her shoulders.

"Ugh I hate my life." She ignored the invitation, and even when Harry said that he was going to go she was still adamantly opposed. it wasn't until her boss McBee had cornered her and had heavily implied that she'd be fired unless she attended the Malfoy's Ball that she had sent her RVSP. She didn't know why he was so insistent, but the Malfoys did hold a great amount of pull in Ministry. Maybe McBee thought that sending the war hero would earn their department some brownie points.

Hermione brought out her wand and turned it on the spot and she felt the tug of apparition take over. Time and space pressed hard from all directions and stole her breath away and in an instant she was transported. She stood outside the gates of Malfoy manor, the wards not letting her apparate any closer.

Hermione let out a groan, wishing she had worn ballet flats or wedges as she started her half a mile trek to the doors of the manor. The manor exulted fun and excess, magical fairly lights twinkling, music blaring and the subtle roar of party goers having the time of their lives filled the air. She was late, she didn't mean to be, but she had gotten caught up with some light reading for work and before she knew it she was over and hour late.

Once she passed the threshold, she sought out waiter and snagged a glass of champagne. It wasn't as strong as she wanted it to be, but she was looking forward to make up the strength of the drink with the quantity that she was planning on drinking that night. She wandered around the party and networked, ensuring that her presence was known, she didn't want all off her hard work in defense of the endangered magical creatures to go to waste just because she was a late to a party.

"'Mione whata you doing here?"

Hermione had to resist the urge to swallow the rest of her champagne in one gulp.

"Ronald." She stiffly stated, nodding briefly at his flavor of the week. "I was invited Ron, why are you here?"

Swallowing the appetizer Ron stepped closer. "As the Keeper for the Chudley Cannons I have to do PR stuff like this for the team, ya know or else I wouldn't be caught dead here. Can't believe the Malfoy's had the nerve to pull this kind of shite. You know you don't look half bad tonight, I'm glad that you took my advice and decided to clean yourself up a bit."

Hermione kept her eyes on the bubbles in her glass and debated on whether or not to throw the drink in his face. The man that stood in front of her was vastly different from the sweet boy that she had grown up with. After the war ended they had tried to make their relationship work. They were both raw from the losses they'd suffered, but they had different ways of coping. She needed time after the war: time to find her parents, time to rebuild the past (both figuratively and literally, with Hogwarts laying in shambles), time to figure out what she wanted from life.

Ron wanted sex.

Something that she was not ready to give away, but Ron quickly found someone else to deal with his needs. And then someone to take that one's place, and then someone else and so on and so forth. He relished in the attention, almost excited when him and his latest conquest had their faces plastered on the Daily Prophet.

She was heartbroken at first. Scared that there was something wrong with her. Why did his touch make her feel so nauseous? But, then the heartbreak quickly turned into anger. Why would she want to spend her time, let alone her life with someone so disgusting? She deserved better.

"Hermione!" A friendlier voice interrupted. Harry walked up to them, abruptly leaving the conversation that he was having with a few coworkers with a quick apology to end the fight that was brewing between his two best mates. "Thought that I saw you here."

"Hello, Harry." Hermione murmured ghosting his cheeks with a kiss and sending him a small warm smile.

"You look amazing."

"Thanks, you don't look so bad yourself." Hermione said with a wink.

"Hey I'm here too mate."

"I can tell Ron, my vision's bad but I haven't gone blind yet." Harry ribbed. "You and I've already talked. Hermione want to dance? We can catch up."

Hermione nodded, ready to get away from Ron and his bed warmer and let her temper cool a little.

"See you in a little bit Ron and –"

"Ruth" The girl supplied.

"Yes of course, Ruth, we'll all grab a drink together later." Harry said over his shoulder as he guided her towards the dancefloor.

Harry put his arms around her waist and lead her with the other one, they waltz together in silence for a while just enjoying the music. It was a weird little tradition that they had. When one of them had a bad day and they had time to see each other that day they would get together and dance until they were laughing like children again. She would make them dinner and they'd watch a movie or they would venture out to muggle London with Teddy.

"He's an idiot isn't he?"

"Of epic proportions." Hermione answered dryly. "I don't know why he thinks I've forgiven him. Just because I don't curse him on sight anymore doesn't mean my feelings have changed."

"I think that he thinks by pretending nothing happened it will all just go away. You'll be friends again."

Hermione didn't answer back, she laid her head on Harry's shoulder and let him lead for the next two dances. They were interrupted by Aaron Taylor, who asked Hermione for a dance. He wasn't a bad looking broke and seemed kind, so Harry excused himself while they went for a spin around the dancefloor. They were having fairly decent time. Hermione found Aaron rather easy to talk to, and his work for The Ministry sounded interesting.

"He's still looking at us."

"I'm sorry." Hermione said. Aaron gestured behind her and she turned to lock eyes with Ron and suddenly all of her good cheer left her. He was drinking Firewhisky staring at her, while Ruth chatted in his ear.

"You… you guys aren't really getting back together, are you?"

"Of course not." Hermione replied. "Why would you think that?"

"Sorry, it's just, the rumors. I wanted to make sure that they weren't true."

"What rumors?"

"Ahh, well. Some people say that you're waiting for him to come back to you. I mean you guys were together forever and it would be understandable if – "

"I would never go back to him. He cheated on me, repeatedly." Hermione interrupted. "And we weren't together that long, we only dated after the war. We were friends before that and rather busy fighting a mad man."

"I just meant – "

"I think I need some air." Hermione said.

"Right, I'll see you later then?"

"Sure" Hermione whispered before leaving the dance floor. She navigated though the crowd, searching for a balcony, but when she found one it was overrun with snogging couples and introverted souls trying to find some peace among the noisy crowds.

"Oh bugger." Hermione turned away, wandering away from the crowds and the noise and deeper into Malfoy Manor.

Mother had insisted that he see her in person before they made any formal declarations to the Ministry. But, he didn't need to see her again to know that she was his mate. Back in their school days there had been so many clues and hints as to who she would be to him and like a coward he had ignored them. He couldn't hide his fascination with the bushy haired beaver when he was in school, his eyes seemed to find her no matter how hard he tried to

It was when he was seventeen and the Dark Lord and his followers had infested the manor was when he learned the truth about his family. His father had failed a mission and was being punished for it, thankfully it was only one round of the cruciatus, but it was enough to leave Lucius on his knees. He-who-must-not-be-named made one of his speeches about how he hoped that this would motivate everyone to do their best with their missions, that during the crucial period no one would be allowed leniency and he had ordered Lucius up. Lucius had tried to stand, but his breath hadn't returned to him and he fell on one knee. Voldemort brushed past Lucius and to the west wing where he had taken residence while making a flippant comment about how he thought that the stain in their blood would at least give them some stronger magical abilities. Why should he keep tolerating the Malfoy family when they had nothing contribute to his cause?

Draco had been standing next his mother when it had happened, she clutched his hand and kept him grounded in the reality of the situation. He had wanted to curse the man for what he had done to his father, but he knew that that was akin to committing suicide. He helped his father to his feet and kept and arm around as their family made their way to the master suite where his father could rest and recover. His father had sat on the foot of his bed and signaled for his mother to come sit beside him. He wrapped his arms around Narcissa's shoulders and pulled her in close, burying his nose in her hair.

"Leave us." Lucius commanded.

Draco did turn towards the door, but only so that he would shut it. The silencing charm automatically activated, shielding their conversation from anyone who could accident hear it from the outside. Then he let all of his rage out. What were they doing? Letting this mad man into this home, allowing him to use their resources while treating them nothing like pawns.

"He's said that if I didn't offer up our home he'd pick separate us. Send your mother away to the Chateau in France with her deranged sister." Lucius snarled.

"So? That'd be better than letting them stay here. Mother shouldn't be involved in these things anyways!"

"You don't know what you're talking about Draco!"

"Then tell me what's going on! Tell me why you're letting him run our manor, treating us like servants!"

"You insolent child! You-"

"Tell him." Narcissa said softly.

"Cissa." Lucius grasped one of her dainty hands in his.

"He deserves to know Lucius. It's going to affect him eventually."

Their conversation was simple and brief. His mother started off the story and his father filled in the details. They explain how his ancestor (his great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather) had become a veela's mate. Since Malfoy brides could only carry male heirs she had given birth to one of the world's only male veela's, with great difficulty. Male veela were quite rare, mostly due to the stain they put on the mother's body during pregnancy. Upon birth of a viable male, the child is often indistinguishable from other children. They often have the same fair characteristics as their female counterparts and can have a certain persuasive powers as children, but their true nature often doesn't manifest until they turn 21. Male veela are able to recognize their mates from birth, but the need to find them doesn't become a compulsion until they come to age. Once of age, a transformation occurs, their third eye will open and they will have continuous visions of their mate until they have tracked her down and claimed her.

Malfoy Veelas were a great deal stronger than the typical male Veela. Due to their unique history. Mates were chosen on strength of magic and character, and had a much easier time carrying Veela children due to their physical structure and healthy eating habits. Since the Y gene carried the Veela gene, all Malfoy children were born as Veela. (Female Veelas, while very beautiful, had a narrow build and naturally ate very little. Male children, especially male Veelas, grew quickly and syphoned a lot of magical energy from their mothers. Energy most Veelas were not able to provide, resulting in many miscarriages and still births. The children who were born were born with great difficulty and the damage that they left on the uterus left the female Veela unable to carry more children. Making male Veela very rare and well protected by magical enforcement agencies around the globe.)

"Great, I'm a bloody bird."

"We have power you know nothing about!"

"If we're so powerful why are you cowering in front of that half-blood?"

"Because he knows about our heritage Draco and he'll use it against us! He's separated your mother and I before and while it wasn't pleasant we were able to get by with the use of suppressant potions. It's the only way I've been able to tolerate all these away missions. But, take those away, separate us and it'll be a week before I go mad from longing and a fortnight before I'm dead. Then your mother dies from heartbreak." Lucius said gripping Narcissa's hand as if some invisible force was going to steal her away right then and there. "Or he'll torture her and make me watch. Either way, we're dead."

"I'm sorry for all of this Draco. We haven't done a very good job of protecting you as your parents. If there was another way – " Narcissa's voice broke, a single tear slipping down her cheek. "I pray to the Old Gods and the New that one day you'll get to experience what we have. It may seem like a curse to you now, but it is the best blessing in our world."

Draco stayed silent; he never liked seeing women cry.

"We have some journals that explain it all in more detail. I'll have the one of the house elves sneak it into your room later." She said in a whisper.

Draco nodded his acceptance and left his parent's room in a daze, he had so many questions still, but he didn't want to stay too much longer. If they stayed cooped up too long the Dark lord may suspect that they were plotting against him.

He'd gone flying afterwards, going around and around in circles until his fingers were numb from the cold and his contained only one thought. He didn't need to wait for the vision to know who his mate was. He wondered what she was doing and if she was safe. What would happen to him if she died, if she was captured. That night wasn't the first night that he dreamt of her, but it was the sweetest by far. Usually in his dreams she's be on her knees or tied to the bed, but this time she was tucked away in his little reading nook in the library. She smiled at him when he came close, moving closer to the window to make room for him. She playfully swatted his hands away when it became apparent that reading was the last thing on his mind, laughing as he captured her lips in a kiss.

That dream was still Draco's favorite.

In the morning, he told his parents what he suspected and they found a way to contact the Order of Phoenix. While his parents were willing to sacrifice their wealth and pride for safety, they weren't willing to sacrifice their son. Light had won over darkness and it was finally time for him to claim his mate.

Draco had been at the door at 7:30 to welcome in the guests, too anxious to wait anywhere else. His parent had joined him 5 minutes till. He had shaken hands and kissed cheeks, smiling till his cheeks hurt, but she didn't come.

"You promised that she'd be here." He whispered angrily into his mother's ear when half an hour passed.

"She will be. Just give it time."

"I've waited years! If you and father had accepted my suspicions it sooner I'd be done courting her by now! "

Narcissa dragged Draco away from the entrance to an area where they could have more privacy. "We changed sides because of what you claimed!"

"Then why did you make me wait for so long!"

"You were still a child! You hadn't turned yet, we had to be sure. Veela mates are meant to be the strongest so that they can bear healthy heirs and she's a – "

"What does it matter that she's a muggleborn? She's the brightest witch in ages, she's a war heroin, and I've seen her do wandless magic!"

"I know Draco, I know." Narcissa said exasperated. "Why do you think that I've arranged all of this? She'll see that you've, that we've changed. She'll accept you more readily and then you can use your magic to do the rest."

"The book said the pheromones won't work on her until after we're bonded."

"No, but her magic will recognize yours. She'll start to have dreams and it'll make her more amendable to your advances. Make sure that she spends as much time with you as possible and in a month or two you'll be married and then she'll be yours forever."

"I don't know if I can wait that long."

"Women like a patient man Draco."

He groaned.

"Why don't you go and busy yourself elsewhere? Find a friend or something. You'll know when she's arrived anyways." Narcissa turned Draco around and pushed him towards the ballroom.

"Why –"

"You don't want to look too eager."

"Mother – "

"Go now."

Draco left the foyer, this would be the best time to charm and increase his network but his mind was too preoccupied to have a focused conversation. He was talking to Blaise about stocks when he caught her sent – vanilla, leather bound books and something spicy that made his mouth water.

He excused himself immediately, tracking her down with his nose he found her socializing with a few ministry officials. He wanted to grab her right then and whisk them away, possibly to that little cottage that he'd bought on a whim in Ireland. The tight little dress that she was wearing left too little to the imagination in Draco's eyes. She was his. Those curves belonged to him, her heart belonged to him, and her smile was his and his only!

A growl escaped Draco's lips and a few guest stepped away nervously. Draco reminded himself that this wasn't the right time. If he acted too aggressively it would put her on the defensive and there were too many people that would keep them apart, the fools.

He watched as Weasley the Witless Wonder approached his mate. If he didn't know for a fact that they had broken up and that Hermione didn't want anything to do with the Weasel he would have cursed the bastard for thinking such disgusting thoughts about his mate. He couldn't believe that he actually thought the he still had a chance with her. Even if they weren't fated, Granger would never trust him again.

Potter was the next once to approach his mate and then that Taylor chap. Draco felt physically sick when they laid their hands on her. He took a sip of his drink and glared at her delectable behind. He had pined after her for years and she barely even noticed that he was alive, even in the same room she wouldn't even look towards him.

He dogged every step that she took, thankful when she decided to break away from the crowd. He touched the walls as they moved deeper into the manor, ensuring that the manor knew his will. The house opened up new hallways and doors, leading her far away from crowd and ensured that no one would follow after them.

This hallway ended with a magnificent set of double doors. The wood was a dark walnut and there was a pattern engraved into the door inlayed with gold. Hermione felt a bit like Alice when she opened the doors and snuck into the library.

There were more books in the Malfoy's library than in Hogwarts, she was sure of that. Hermione took the stairs that lead to the second level of the library, ascending to the third floor when she discovered that there was one. The third floor appeared to be the oldest. The pages of the books that lined the shelves were yellowed with age, spines wrinkled with repeated use. Hermione fingered them cautiously, she read through a couple of the titles before she came across _'Origins of Magic'_. It was rather a plain book, but there was something about it that reminded her of the feeling that she when she had done magic for the very first time.

She held on to the book and wandered deeper in the stack, coming upon a little reading nook. It was clear that it was once a window seat that someone had expanded. Glass stained windows surrounded a twin sized mattress. There were piles of soft welcoming cushions and delicate twinkle lights provided just enough light to read by.

Hermione climbed up, letting her uncomfortable shoes fall of her feet, her knees sunk into the mattress and when she crawled towards the window her gown kept getting caught under her. She grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled it up for the fabric rested above her knees. Hermione peered out a clear shard of at the party below, it was in full swing beneath her. Guest filled the garden, frolicking near the flowers and dancing to the band the Malfoy's hired.

"You know I had a dream like this once." A voice drawled behind her.

Hermione turned around to face the voice that had tormented her for years. It appeared that that ferret had grown over the years, in appearance if nothing else. He had to have been at least a head taller than her, even in heels. His aristocratic features were even sharper now; he looked handsome in a removed sort of way, like a statue of an Adonis that a security guard would keep you from touching.

She stared at him for a moment longer than necessary before her sense came back to her and she remembered where she was.

"Sorry, I got lost. I'll be leaving now." Hermione moved towards the edge. Ready to slip her shoes on and get back to the party, but Malfoy blocked her exit. Kicking away her heels, he took a seat next to her.

"That's what one says when one walks into a person's private quarters thinking it was the loo Granger. You're a smarter girl than that." He said with a grin.

"Fine, Malfoy. I got bored and went into your library." She grumbled feeling both irritated and embarrassed. "So sorry to have contaminated your precious books. Now if you'll excuse me."

"No Granger I don't think I will."

"What? What is your problem Malfoy? I've already apologized – "

"No, dammit Granger, what I'm saying is that you can stay here if you want."

"What?" Hermione drew her brows together in confusion.

"It's not like you're going to take off with the silver, you were going to ready that book, right?" Malfoy said, stepping closer to her. "You can stay here and read it if you want. I – I wanted to get away from the party as well. We could read together if you like, not the same book of course, but perhaps in the same room."

Hermione was sure that the man in front of her had to be under a spell of some sort. Lots of things had happened since the end of the war, but things hadn't changed so much that she'd be comfortable hanging out with Draco Malfoy in his library reading books together under twinkle lights.

"Thank you Malfoy, but this, this was terribly inappropriate of me. I shouldn't have wandered in here during your mother's party. I just saw the books and got curious." She said softly.

Hermione moved to get up, but Malfoy grabbed her wrist and pulled her back on to the mattress. "Stay."

"I – "Hermione felt a jolt at his touch. It wasn't like getting a static shock, the jolt came from somewhere deeper, it made her tingly all over and she felt cold and warm at the same time. " Why?"

"We need to talk." Hermione didn't know what made her sit back down. Malfoy took it as a positive sign, letting his hands stroke her arm. "I - , I guess I should start this talk by apologizing. I was terrible to you. You were the exact opposite of what I was told a muggle-born should be and, I guess the thought frightened me."

"So, you resorted to calling me names and bulling me and my friends every chance you got?"

"Until the true consequences of our words came to light." Malfoy's face dropped and she couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards him. "The world You-Know-Who wanted, was one that I couldn't exist in. It took me a while to realize it, but once I did I like to think that I've made a change for the better."

Hermione pulled her arm away gently, he was giving her the chills. Malfoy let his hand drop to the mattress, suspiciously close to her hip. She thought that she could feel him stroking her though her dress with the tip of his thumb, but she was sure she was imagining it, right? "I, I'm thankful that your family changed sides during the war. You saved many lives."

"Are you saying that you'll forgive me?"

Hermione shrugged. "The past is the past. There's nothing to forgive. We all did things that we aren't proud of."

"Thank you." Malfoy smiled, making Hermione nervous. It didn't seem like a sincere smile, more like one he'd give when he's gotten his way. He leaned towards her and placed a hand on her back. She nervously tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"We should head back." There was less confidence in her voice than she wanted. She pulled on her shoes and stood up. Malfoy watched her move, a light smirk playing on his lips. He stood up after her. Putting a hand on her back he guided them back to the party. No one seemed to notice that they were missing so they were able to blend in with the crowd effortlessly. Hermione tried to smile and chat with her the fellow guests but she couldn't ignore Malfoy's eyes. His gaze burned into her skin until she couldn't take it anymore, leaving the manor as quietly as she could.


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Harry Potter, just this plot. Thanks to all who reviewed previously, kept me going today as I typed this mess up. Please forgive the typos, I was just too excited to post this. I'll look over on a different day.**

* * *

The first thing that Hermione noticed was that she was in a library, the Malfoy library from the looks of it. She was sitting on the top of a table with a large book laying on her lap. It would have been such an unusual scene if it wasn't for the fact that she was naked.

She gasped, covering her breasts with her arms. Wondering how the hell she got here.

"Don't do that Granger, you're ruining the view." Malfoy appeared suddenly from the side. Leaning against a bookshelf, dressed casually in black slacks and a button-down oxford he smirked as he took her in. He grinned lecherously as he made his way to her.

"What do you think you're doing Malfoy!" Hermione grabbed the book in front of her and covered herself with it, crossing her legs tightly.

"I haven't done anything Granger. You're the one that came into my Library." Malfoy circled her.

"Where are my clothes!"

"No idea kitten, but I like your current look." Malfoy put a hand on her back and caressed her skin, letting his hand rest on the small of her back. "Who knew you were hiding all of this under those drab clothes?"

She held the book against her with one arm and swatted him with the other "Get away from me!"

He grabbed her arm and pressed her hand against the wood of the table. She tried to move her arm back, but her palm adhered to the table. "Malfoy! What did you do?"

"I haven't done anything Granger. You're the one who's been causing trouble." He pulled her other arm away from the book and placed it behind her. She swallowed nervously. Her arms were restrained behind her in a position that made her arch her chest towards him. The book was the only thing covering her now. "Breaking into my home, stripping in my library. You are a brave one aren't you, Granger?"

He reached forward and tipped the book back so it landed in her lap. Her nipples pebbled in the cold air and his gaze was fixed on them.

"You know, you should be thankful. I could turn you in, but I've decided to handle your punishment personally." He cupped her left breast, testing the weight of it. He circled the rosy tip with his fingers before he tweaked her nipple.

"Malfoy." Hermione gasped and he looked up at her face. Her cheeks were stained pink and her lips were reddened from her own teeth. Smirking at her expression, he knocked the book out of her lap and pulled closer to him. She managed to keep her legs locked, but he wrapped an arm around her and he brought his mouth down on her breast. She whimpered when he bit the underside of her breast and watched as the took her nipple into his mouth and rolled it between his teeth.

"You, you shouldn't do this." She swallowed a moan as he continued to suckle at her like a kitten. Her core clenching and unclenching in anticipation, it wanted a turn with his mouth as well.

"You want this. You're the one dreaming about this."

* * *

Hermione woke up with a start, an insistent unsatisfied pulsing from between her legs.

She looked at the clock on the bedside table and groaned. She was hoping to sleep in, but the dreams that she'd been having recently had made that an impossibility. Since the party Friday night, every time she closed her eyes her subconscious dropped her into some raunchy scenes staring the Ferret, himself. It wasn't exactly an unfamiliar situation, back when they were still in school, she had dealt with the same thing. Waking up, panting in the girl's dormitory with Malfoy on her mind. After she left school and the war started the dreams faded away, but now that he was back in her life so where the dreams. She hated her traitorous dreams when she was in school. Whenever she had one it felt like she was betraying her friends and their cause by dreaming of him between her legs, especially when she was dating Ron.

She rolled out of bed and walked over to the bathroom. She was hoping to sleep till 10 or 11, but there was no point in trying to sleep now. Decided to start her morning she went over to the sink and started brushing her teeth. She was planning on heading over to Andromeda's house around noon to have lunch with her and Teddy before whisking him away for a couple hours. Harry may have officially been his godfather, but she was the one who spent the most time with him. After the war Harry was busy with Ginny, the Weasley family and the medial fallout from the war and she … she didn't have much.

It took her half a year to find her parents and 2 months after to undo the spell she placed on them, and after Ron and her broke up she didn't feel welcome in the Weasley home anymore. She was only doing a favor for Harry when she agreed to watch over Teddy when Andromeda fell ill and had to remain at St. Mungo's. But, taking care of the little infant: feeding him, holding him, watching him fall asleep in her arms, gave her a sense of peace and happiness that she hadn't felt in years.

Hermione looked out the window of her apartment, there was really nothing that she needed to do or had to do. Perhaps she could come to Andromeda's earlier?

She sent a quicknote before she went into the shower. She knew Andromeda wouldn't care if she came unannounced. She and Harry were her go to babysitters and they frequently visited to help her around her house. Andromeda loved her little grandson, he reminded her so much of Tonks, but her was a handful and she wasn't as young as she used to be.

Freshly showered she pulled on some jeans and an off the shoulder top. She put some Sleekeasy's into her hair and brushed it out. Teddy loved to play with her hair when he was falling asleep or wanted comfort and it was a lot easier to work it out of his little hands if it wasn't a frizzy tangled mess. A quicknote flew in front of her:

 _Hermione,_

 _Please come whenever you like. Teddy has been asking when you'd be stopping and I'm sure he'll be excited to see you. I'm having brunch with my sister and nephew please join us._

 _Andromeda_

Her sister and nephew, did that mean Malfoy and his mom would be there?

She knew that Mrs. Malfoy reached out to Andy after the war to reestablish their sisterly bond. They shared meals together and spent time at each other's homes. She'd mentioned some positive things about her nephew, but she didn't know that he was reconciling with his Aunt. She could tell that Draco had changed after the war, after all the last time she saw him, he apologized. But, there was still something about him that made her nervous. Plus, she didn't know how Mrs. Malfoy would respond to her and she didn't want to argue with anyone in front of Teddy, especially not about blood purity. He didn't know words like 'mudblood' 'blood traitor' and 'pure blood' and she didn't want to be the one to explain it to him.

He would have to learn about it eventually, but not now.

Hermione sighed, fiddling with the note in her hand. She wasn't sure if having brunch with the Malfoys was a good idea but, Andromeda wouldn't invite her if she thought there would be an issue.

Plucking up her courage, Hermione grabbed her purse and walked over to her floo. She grabbed a handful of power and as soon as the dust settled she was in Andromeda's home. "Andy? Teddy?"

She walked out of the fireplace and walked to the kitchen. Peering out the window, she spotted them in the flower garden. Andromeda and Mrs. Malfoy had their heads pressed close together over a photo album while their plates went cold. Malfoy was holding Teddy in his lap as the little boy stuffed strawberries in his mouth, talking animatedly about whatever caught his interest in that moment. It was a sweet sight. Teddy's hair matched perfectly with Malfoy's, signaling how comfortable he was in his arms. If a stranger walked in at that moment she was sure that they would think that Teddy was Draco's son.

Hermione pushed open the door and the warm summer air surrounded her. Smiling brightly as the boy's caught sight of her. Teddy's face lit up and he stood on Malfoy's legs to reach for her, screaming, "Mimi, Mimi you're here! I missed you."

"I missed you too." She lifted the little boy out of Malfoy's lap and tossed him up into the air as he giggled. Teddy's hair changed from Malfoy blonde to her curly mess and he clutched her face with his sticky fingers. She smiled at the others at the table, "Good morning, thank you for inventing me to brunch."

"Hermione, so good to see you." Andromeda gave her a side hug so Teddy wouldn't be squished in between them. "Sit down and eat. I've prepared so much, most of it will probably go to waste."

"Let me officially introduce you to my sister Narcissa and her son, Draco." Andromeda said, gesturing to her sister and nephew.

"It's good to see you again, my name is Hermione." She reached her hand out to shake hands with Mrs. Malfoy."

"I'm happy to see you under better terms Hermione. I hope that we can get to know each other better, possibly become friends."

Teddy whispered her name in her ear, annoyed with being ignored. What was she suppose to say to that? "Likewise Mrs. Malfoy."

"Please call me Narcissa." Hermione nodded, balancing Teddy in her arms, she took the seat between Andromeda and Draco. Andromeda put a plate in front of her and poured her a cup of tea while she sat Teddy down on her lap. Teddy wiggled on her lap to face her, "Mimi I ate breakfast with my cousin Draco! His mommy is my aunt and I have another uncle too now. Mimi, Draco said he would take me flying!"

"Flying?" Teddy's smile shrank at Hermione's concerned look. She looked at Malfoy, "Are you sure that's safe?"

"Draco said we'd go!"

"I stay low to the ground and go slow. He'll be safe." Draco said.

"I want to fly Mimi!"

"Draco is a fabulous flyer." Narcissa reassured.

"We'll go Teddy, _Mimi's_ just afraid. She doesn't like heights. She failed was Broom Flight Class in first year." Draco said with a grin, pushing Teddy's strawberries closer to him.

"I didn't fail!" She had gotten an acceptable, thanks to the written assignments, extra credit and Madame Hooch's pity.

"Mimi you're scared? I'll hold your hand if you're scared, then you'll be ok." Teddy said, earning himself a kiss.

"Thank you Teddy." Hermione grabbed herself some French toast, sausage and beans.

"I've heard that you work the Ministry Miss Granger, what is it that you do?" Narcissa said, nibbling on her fruit.

The conversation that followed after was surprisingly lighthearted and easy. Hermione talked about work and Narcissa threw in some funny stories about Lucius's days in the ministry. Andromeda and Narcissa told stories about their childhood and their cousins (leaving out anything to do with Bellatrix) and Draco talked about his work, charitable organizations and threw peppered in snarky comments throughout brunch. Teddy filled the end with happy chatter on what he was going to do and mentioned repeatedly how much he wanted to watch Peppa Pig on Mimi's telly.

"What is a telly, why is there a pig in there?" Draco asked.

Hermione smiled, no matter how many times she was asked this she still had yet to come up with a suitable answer. "Think of it like a large picture frame, but the images last much longer and there's sound. The goal of these pictures it to tell a story for entertainment."

Draco gave her a confused look that made her smile. "Nothing that I say will really do it justice. The best way to understand it is just to use it."

"Watch Peppa Pig!" Teddy demanded. "Draco come with us. Mimi's going to take me to the park then we can fly and watch Peppa Pig."

"Teddy I'm sure that –"

"That's a wonderful idea Theodore! Draco go with them, you wanted to learn more about muggle culture." Narcissa said, meeting surprised looks from the other occupants before they all started talking at once.

"I wouldn't mind, but it's a children's museum and I'm sure he'll be bore-"

"Draco, I had no idea that you were interested in Muggle culture. I still have plenty of Teds things if you want to – "

"That's, that's – " Looking at Hermione. "A wonderful idea. I would love to see this quaint muggle playground and watch this … telly."

"Perfect! I'll leave Draco in your hands Miss Granger." Narcissa clapped her hands. "With the children out of the house do you want to do some shopping? All my dress robes are dreadfully out of fashion."

Andromeda scoffed, "Does that mean that you bought them last season? You know that you can wear an outfit more than once, right?"

"Mimi, mimi." Teddy pulled at her hair. "Are we going now? I want to go."

Hermione glanced at Draco. "We can."

Andromeda and Narcissa followed them into the house, waving cheerfully at them as they flooed to Hermione's parents. Hermione and Teddy went first. Teddy wiggled out of her arms, whining that he wanted to be put down before he wandered off to the toy chest her mother kept for him. Hermione made sure that he was playing safely before she adjusted the wards so that Draco could enter.

In a flare of green light Draco Malfoy was in her childhood home. He wiped his feet on the mat in front of the fireplace and peered around curiously. "Where are your parents?"

"They're in South Africa on safari. They'll be there for a month. Since they retired they spend their time traveling and asking me when I'll give them grandchildren." She smiled nervously. "Ever since I've introduced them to Teddy, it seems to be all they talk about."

"Do you want them, children? You seem attached to Teddy."

"Teddy – " A toy in the next room made a high pitched musical noise and Teddy giggled loudly. "Teddy came into my life at the right moment. He's a gift, but I don't know if I'm ready for children yet. I'm still figure out my career and it's unlikely that I'll be getting married anytime soon. I don't even have a boyfriend at this time."

"How many do you want?" Draco asked wandering around the family room, taking particular interest in her childhood photos. Her still toothless smile, filling up the frame.

"I haven't thought about it, why are you asking?" He was making her nervous. They barely knew each other and for whatever reason he was asking her insanely personal questions.

"Just curious." He walked towards her. He was so close that she could smell the crisp sent of his aftershave. He gave her a heady look. "What are we doing, Granger?"

"What?" Her traitorous mind thought back to the dream that she had that morning and she started to feel hot.

Draco smirked, "Where are we taking Teddy?"

"Oh , um, we're going to this interactive children's museum. I've taken him there before. There's different games and experiments that he can do to learn about science, math and music." Hermione explained quickly.

"Do I look alright?" Hermione looked him up and down. He looked every bit like the snarky, manipulative, beautiful aristocrat that he was.

"If you take off your outer robes and leave you slacks and dress shirt on you should fit in. You'll be over dressed, but you'll look mostly muggle."

"Perfect." He sarcastically drawled and Hermione smiled despite herself.

They retrieved Teddy from the other room and Hermione walked them to the car. Draco scoffed at the shiny muggle vehicle, doubting it's safety.

"You fly around and knock each other off brooms while thousands of feet above the ground and you think this is unsafe?" Hermione questioned playfully. Prodding at Draco until he sat in the passenger side seat. On the drive over, he clutched the door handle and questioned the safety of the seat belt before criticizing how slow the car was.

"No wonder muggles take so long to get things done. It takes hours for them to get from one place to the other." Hermione silenced him with a glance and he kept most of his comments to himself for the rest of their adventure into muggle London.

Draco held on to Teddy, following after Hermione protectively as the entered the children's museum. The further away they were from the world that Draco had grown up in, the more uncomfortable he seemed to be. Hermione had to free Teddy from his grip so that he could play with the other children. Draco grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her towards him when a muggle male accidently brushed against her shoulder while taking a picture of his daughter.

"Nothing's going to happen. It's safe here. Look how happy Teddy is." Hermione said softly. Draco watched as Teddy ran across a piano bridge, his weight on the boards triggering a light and a musical note. Another little boy bounced up and down on a board next to him and they laughed at all the ruckus they were making.

"His hair could change." Draco acted as a barrier between her and the other people there. Watching Teddy with a concerned look on his face. "They could hurt him. Take him, we should leave."

"Malfoy, Malfoy." Hermione tried to get his attention. "Draco."

He turned towards her and she said; "It's a children's playground and Teddy only changes his hair when he meets someone he loves. He's played her for hours before and there hasn't been an issue."

"They could burn him. They've done it before with children and women. Our kind, their kind, they didn't care."

"Draco that was in the past. Even if someone saw his hair change they wouldn't think that it was magic. They would think it was a trick of their eye and if they didn't we could get our wands out and obliviate them." Hermione had her wand tucked away in her expandable purse and Draco had his hidden in his pants, far different from where he typically kept it (in his robe pocket, where he could reach it within a second). Hermione grabbed his arm with her other hand, not to pull it off but signal that she wanted to hold his hand. "It'll be ok."

* * *

He felt incredibly uncomfortable. He looked around the muggle building, trying to filter through the thoughts of the various muggles around him. He couldn't hear anything threatening towards his mate or cousin, but the noise from the children (both internal and external) was incredibly distracting. Being this far away from the magical community, where he couldn't whip out his wand without a ministry inquiry was much more frustrating than he expected.

The only thing that was keeping him grounded was his mate's hand in his. Her presence was calming and reassuring. He supposed in the future he would have to venture back out muggle London to see his in-laws and he was sure that his stubborn mate would want their child to spend time in muggle places, but he hoped to limit that time as much as possible. He didn't want her to venture out into dangerous territory without him, the war was enough of a struggle.

He took a deep breath of her scent to calm himself. "How much longer do we have to stay here?"

"Another hour or so." Draco's jaw clenched, he could hear some muggle thinking about his mate's round arse in her tight jeans. "You can take Teddy flying after this. Since we had a late brunch he won't be hungry till later and then he'll nap."

He nodded, starting the mental countdown in his head.

* * *

Hermione felt bad. She should have known better, even Ron had a hard time when he first visited her neighborhood, scared and nervous of all the differences.

He did pretty well, considering the circumstances. He glued himself to her side while they were at the children's museum and she fought off the desire to step away from him. Teddy didn't seem to notice his second cousin's discomfort, yelling cheerfully at every new discovery he made. Hermione trailed after him and pulled Draco along, encouraging him to play Teddy as the time ticked by and Teddy grew tiered.

"Mimi hold me." Teddy rubbed his face into her shoulder, turning his face away from the lights. She could tell that he was getting cranky. He was normally very good about co-playing and sharing toys, but he had thrown a fit earlier when another child cut in front of him while going down a slide and seemed to get progressively annoyed when other children joined him on toys and activities.

"Are you sleepy?"

"Not sleepy!" Teddy yelled, pulling at her hair harshly.

"Teddy." She warned. "It's not nice to pull people's hair to hurt them. Don't do that again."

Teddy pouted but loosened his grip on her hair before he rested his head on her shoulder unhappily. Turning to Draco, Hermione whispered "We should head home. I can make us lunch at my parent's house. Then it might be some time for some quiet time."

Draco nodded and they headed out of the children's museum. The drive home was only 10 minutes, but Teddy was already starting to nod off in the backseat of the car. He was grumpy when she woke him up, but he needed to eat before she settled him down for his nap. She made him a grilled ham and cheese sandwich while he ate some grapes. Teddy barely kept his eyes opened as she read to him, valiantly fighting to hear the end of the story before he fell asleep.

Malfoy watched as she trucked him into her childhood bed. Then they went back downstairs. Hermione expected him to go home right after Teddy had fallen asleep, after all it had been a long morning for him as well, but Draco stayed. They toured her childhood home before settling down in front of the television they flipped through a couple of channels and Draco asked questions about the various things he saw. She went to the kitchen to make lunch for them while he sat in front of the TV. She decided to make them chicken and veggies and while she prepared the food, Draco followed after her. He stayed with in arms reach of her, being more of a nuisance than a help.

"What do you think your name would be if you were an house elf, Frizzy? Curly? Knowing you you'd probably designate yourself to the library." Draco said, watching her chop vegetables.

"For someone who came up with 'Weasley is our King', those names are surprisingly uninventive."

"My elves like their names just fine. Maybe if you gave me some inspiration, dress the part, I think I have a French maid's outfit that would fit you rather well."

She snorted in surprise. Was he flirting with her? "Do you realize that I have a knife in my hand?"

"That is no way to speak to your master."

"Malfoy go watch TV before I decided to kick you out of here." He lifted his hands up in mock surrender before retreating into the family room. Hermione smiled as she seasoned the chicken. He was less annoying than he normally seemed to be and he was actually making her smile.

Hermione pan fried the chicken to brown it before putting it in the oven to finish cooking. She put the chopped veggies on the pan that he had the chicken in and sautéed them. Hermione called Draco back into the kitchen and had him set the table as she made their plates for lunch.

"I think your missing some forks and spoons from your set Granger."

"You're not that spoiled Malfoy. We went to Hogwarts together."

"Wrong Granger. The Slytherin table was always properly set. The elves must have realized that we were of a better class than your kind." He said, cutting into the chicken. "It does explain why I saw so many of those Hufflepuffs eat with their hands."

"You're such a princess Malfoy, do you have a dress to match? When Ron said he saw you in a drag show I was sure he was joking, but I'm starting to doubt myself."

"You can look under my robes whenever you want Granger. I'm sure you won't be disappointed. It's about time you see what a real man looks like after being stuck with Weasley and Potter for so long."

Hermione coughed as a piece of her potatoes went down the wrong pipe. Their lunch was filled with light hearted banter. Afterwards Hermione search though her parent's movie selection. Settling on the first Jurassic Park movie after much internal debate. She Figured that it would have enough action to keep him entertained and she could slowly expose him to different types of technology and educate him about some of the science and history their magical textbooks failed to cover. It was rather sweet how fascinated he was by the dinosaurs, it reminded her so much of Teddy. She answered his questions and was happy when he started to talk about wanting to learn more about earth's history. The tension faded away from his face and she could tell that he was a lot happier learning about the muggle world in the safety of her home.

Teddy woke up from his nap later in the afternoon and they went back to Andromeda's house. It appeared that Narcissa and her were still out shopping so they went to the local park. Draco rented a broom and flew Teddy around the park.

"Keep your hands on the broom!" Hermione shouted at Teddy.

Teddy sat in front of Draco with his hands up in the air as he laughed with joy. Draco kept a hand on the broom and another one around Teddy as they flew slowly around the park. Hermione kept her eyes on him and one hand on her wand. After about an hour Draco landed with a very happy Teddy in his arms.

"I want to go again! Again Draco." Teddy commanded from the top of Draco's shoulders. His hair turned pale like Draco's.

"Next time." Draco promised.

The returned to Andromeda's house after the sisters had returned home. Teddy launched himself off of Draco's shoulders and into his grandmother's to tell her about his day. Hermione watched Teddy and didn't notice how Andromeda looked at her nephew.

Narcissa shared the spoils of her victory before saying, "It has been such a lovely day. We should do this again soon, but I must get going. I sure that Lucius is going crazy without me. I don't think that we've stayed this far away from each other in decades. He'll be terribly upset when I come home."

Hermione nodded, but didn't say anything. Wizarding marriages were far more old fashioned than their non-magical counterparts. She had seen that with Arthur and Molly as well as with Bill and Fleur.

"He met us for lunch Cissa, you've only been apart for a few hours at the most." Andromeda consoled, kissing her goodbye. "He won't be upset."

Hermione walked with Andromeda and Teddy to say goodbye to the Malfoy's. She waved goodbye to Narcissa politely and Draco surprised her with a hug before he left, pressing her into the hard planes of his body. A flush climbed up her cheeks as she became acutely aware of his body.

His smirk was the last she saw of him before he was engulfed by green flames.

"Hermione can we talk?"

"Of course."

Andromeda sent Teddy off to his room to play before bring Hermione into her living room. They sat side by side on the couch. "How much do you know about the Malfoy family?"

"Centuries of pureblood breeding, they have as much money as half the wizarding population of England, pale with blonde hair." Hermione rattled off. "You probably know much more about them than I do. Why do you ask?"

"What I'm about to tell you is well-known gossip among the pureblood houses. When I was younger my mother told me about the taint of the Malfoy's house. It was mostly speculation, of course, no one would have dared to challenge them directly, but after seeing Crissa and Lucius together these past few months, I'm sure that it's the truth." Andromeda said.

Hermione listened patiently, unsure about where this conversation was going.

"The Malfoy's are veelas and I think you are Draco's mate."

Hermione eye's widened.

"The way he looks at you, the way Draco and my sister are acting." Andromeda held onto Hermione's hands. "When Cissa and I were younger she would tell me about the dreams she had about Lucius. Back then she thought that she was a seer and was getting a glimpse into her future, but now that were older it's clear what was happening. His magic was calling her's, preparing her for her destiny. Have you, have you had dreams about Draco?"

* * *

 **Done ! Gosh, what did you think? A slow beginning, but I thought it was a good/believable way for Hermione to learn the truth. Did you like dream sequence? I haven't really written lemons …**


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